


Confessions

by MioyatThePineapple



Category: Fire Emblem Heroes
Genre: It was physically painful to type the last sentence ngl so maybe it's a bit fluffy, M/M, Slice of Life, maybe fluffy???
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-06
Updated: 2018-09-06
Packaged: 2019-07-07 21:25:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,895
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15916554
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MioyatThePineapple/pseuds/MioyatThePineapple
Summary: Ephraim overhears Lyon confess to Eirika.





	Confessions

It was almost scripted.

The two of them just so  _ happened _ to stop across the lobby from him, just within earshot. Kiran had just _ happened _ to take most of the Order out on a mission, reducing the general noise level of the castle enough to where he could hear them perfectly, had just  _ happened _ to not take the three of them along, and they just  _ happened _ to be talking about  _ that _ particular subject. The amount of coincidences needed for the scene to play out the way it had was so high that Ephraim had half a mind to take Breidablik from Kiran and shoot it, to see which of the rarest heroes he could land for himself.

But Breidablik was with Kiran, and Ephraim was in the lobby, watching Lyon take Eirika’s hand. He was facing away from Ephraim, but Ephraim could clearly see Eirika’s face, even if she seemingly hadn’t noticed him, and her expression was alarmingly neutral.

“I’ve- always admired you, Eirika.” Barely above a whisper, Lyon’s voice was loud enough to block out all other sounds and fill Ephraim’s ears. He had never been able to focus on anything, not really, except maybe fighting, and he registered every single detail in that scene, as if time had slowed, and even later, he could still recall them: Lyon’s grip on Eirika’s hand had tightened, he had ducked his head slightly, his lowered voice, and his words- “I think you’re a fantastic person.”

Eirika blinked. “You’re- you’re wonderful, too, Lyon.” Almost cluelessly, and Ephraim wanted to run over and for the first time was almost- angry with his sister, because he knew  _ exactly _ what was happening. 

Instead, he just continued to watch.

A pause. “I-” Lyon’s voice cracked, the words were almost forced- “I love you.”

Another pause, even longer this time. “I…” Eirika swallowed. “...in what way?”

Ephraim stopped watching.

“What...do you mean?” There was so much dejection in Lyon’s voice, and it made Ephraim’s heart sink the same way he knew Lyon’s was.

Eirika stopped to consider her words. “I love you too, Lyon. You mean as much to me as Ephraim does. In fact, I care about you the same way I care about him.” Ephraim drew a deep breath, so he almost missed Eirika’s apology. “I’m sorry.”

“No, don’t...apologize. I understand.” The conversation had stopped then, because there was no way for it to continue, and in that moment Ephraim wondered, exactly, if he should join it in that realm of disappearing completely.

Then- the castle doors flew open, drawing everyone’s attention, including Ephraim’s- which meant he had full witness to L’arachel rushing in, faster than she could’ve even gone on horseback, and not even running into Eirika, because that still would’ve implied _some_ degree of separation. Her voice was loud enough to carry throughout the castle and maybe back home to Renais, and Lyon stood to the side while Princess Rausten fussed over Eirika, a constant stream of apologies and “but-Kiran-said”’s and a dramatic recounting of the mission she had been assigned- in that moment, he had to have _known._ Had to have been feeling the exact same way Ephraim was, which meant that he would be going to his best- _second_ best friend for comfort.

Ephraim turned around and left. For the first time in his life, he didn’t want to be around either of them.

***

Strength wasn’t everything.

He had thought it to be, once. It wasn’t as if anything else mattered, after all- at least, not to  _ him _ . Eirika was the better princess, the better heir, and obviously better suited to be ruler. All he had to do was be strong enough to protect her, which was what his duty required, and protect Lyon, which was what his emotions demanded he do, every day and every time they saw each other. Anxious, sweet, kind and thoughtful Lyon- everything Ephraim wasn’t, his twin as much as Eirika was, and they complimented each other just as well. Eirika was his other half in the literal sense, but Ephraim couldn’t have been complete without Lyon, either. 

It turned out that he was only strong enough to lose him. That sight, Siegmund in his hands, blood spilled across the ground, haunted him in his dreams occasionally and every time he saw Lyon wandering the halls of Askr like a ghost, served as a reminder of how wrong he had been.

Ephraim knew strength wasn’t everything. But sometimes, it just felt damn  _ good  _ to completely destroy some training dummies.

Straw littered the training grounds in what might’ve been a recreation of a bloodbath. The sheer destruction would’ve put Chrom to shame, and still he wasn’t satisfied. Askr was supposed to be a place of second chances and new opportunities. When Lyon had been summoned, Ephraim hoped that it would be both, and it had ended up being neither.

“You’re agitated.”

A simple statement of fact. Eirika had a habit of narrating  _ his _ emotions aloud, because he was usually too focused on other things to notice them. 

(Maybe he just wasn’t focused enough.)

“I knew that already.” He turned to face his sister.

Eirika looked concerned. Of course she did. She was always so gentle and  _ caring _ so it was no wonder that- “Do you?”

Ephraim nodded, as non-aggressively as he could. He could never be angry at her.

“Do you know why?”

Part of the reason was standing right in front of him. Something was muttered under his breath, and he tried going back to decimating straw dummies.

A hand on his shoulder stopped him. Eirika was _ kind _ and part of her kindness was not letting other people go when she knew they were hurting; it was a quiet strength, something Ephraim lacked, and it forced a sigh and confession out of him. “I was in the lobby when you and Lyon...had your conversation.” 

“I know.” It had been stated so matter-of-factly that it had flown completely over his head. At his expression, Eirika continued. “Ephraim, the lobby has stone floors. You’re wearing steel boots.  _ Everyone  _ heard you storm away.”

“But- if you knew, why did you ask? And for the record, I didn’t  _ storm _ .”

“I just needed to make sure, that was all.” Eirika folded her arms, looked him in the eye. “You know, you’ve changed.”

“Have I? I hadn’t noticed.” He’d  _ tried _ . It was somewhat reassuring to know that it was working.

“When we were younger, every time you heard something you disagreed with- you’d just jump in with your opinion. You didn’t care who was watching or listening, you’d just say it.” 

There was a reaction she was looking for; Ephraim offered part of it. “Maybe when I was younger, I wasn’t the most thoughtful person.”

“Have you ever considered that maybe there’s such thing as thinking too much?” Eirika mused, and Ephraim gave her a look. “I know, I heard myself too.”

Ephraim managed a smile. “Maybe I’m just not used to thinking so much.”

“Maybe you’re just  _ over _ thinking things,” Eirika suggested. “You knew I was never going to accept Lyon’s confession in the first place; why are you so glum?”

That was...strangely blunt, for Eirika. “You know I’m competitive.” There was an attempt at lightening the mood. “I’ve never been able to settle for second place in anything.”

“You’re also brave, but I don’t see you approaching Lyon, either,” Eirika observed.

“Because-” Ephraim closed his mouth. “...what’s the point in competing when you’ve already lost?”

“Maybe you haven’t lost yet.” Eirika smiled at him, assuringly. “After all, everyone gets a second chance when first place drops out.”

“Or everyone ends up losing.”

“You never used to be so cynical, either.” Eirika’s mouth was a flat line.

Ephraim sighed. “I know. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologize.” Eirika placed her hand on Ephraim’s arm. “If- theoretically, if you  _ were _ to say something to Lyon- what would you say?”

That very subject had crossed his mind some endless amount of nights. It was an almost constant topic of thought and he had organized none of it into anything that could’ve been called remotely understandable; after all, it had always seemed like a distant impossibility.

“I’m- not entirely sure.” Ephraim cast his gaze towards the ground. “I guess I would...apologize. For-”  _ not noticing how you felt. Not being more considerate. _ ( _ For-  _ the image of Lyon laying still pooling blood forced its way into Ephraim’s head again, and he immediately,  _ reflexively, _ forced it out.) “-everything. And I’d ask if we could...start over. Because, well,” a bitter smile worked its way onto his face, “what else could we really do?”

“Is that all?” Eirika pressed.

It wasn’t. She  _ knew _ . Ephraim sighed again. “And...I’d tell him…” the last bit was mumbled.

“What was that?”

“I’d tell him that- I love him.” His eyes closed. “Always did, always have.”  _ Always will _ . “And  _ then _ I’d ask to start over.”

His words hung in the silence that followed. And then, Eirika’s voice, sounding somewhat distant- “I  _ told _ you.”

Ephraim’s eyes flew open. “ _ Huh? _ ”

Eirika’s body was half turned away, towards the castle. More specifically, one of the columns, and Ephraim followed her gaze to- Lyon, stepping out sheepishly from behind it.

In the emotional turmoil that occurred within him immediately afterwards, one realization shone loudly and clearly: _ I was set up _ .

“You did,” Lyon said, walking up to Eirika. He couldn’t quite meet Ephraim’s eyes, which was good, because Ephraim couldn’t quite form a coherent thought.

“I- you- he was-  _ you _ -”

“It was a set-up,” Eirika confirmed, with a small smile. “It was  _ all _ a set-up. I thought I could provoke you into confessing- obviously that didn’t work.” It was her turn to sigh. “Lyon thought you were angry at him- I told him you were just jealous. You have no idea how scared he was.”

It wasn’t very often in his life Ephraim was completely speechless. Somewhere, his mind made a mental note to not  _ ever _ cross Eirika, because he had just learned how horribly devious she could be.

“I wasn’t...jealous,” he managed, eventually. “I would’ve supported you.”

“Because you love me.” Eirika grinned. “But you love Lyon too. So! I’ll leave you to it.” And then she was gone, humming cheerily as she left behind two human disasters to converge and expected the outcome to be them fixing each other instead of mutual destruction.

It was, surprisingly, Lyon who spoke first. “Did you...really mean it?”

“-all of it. I meant everything.” He had meant more, too, all of the emotions he couldn’t put into words and hoped would be expressed when he took Lyon’s hand in his.

Lyon smiled at him, a sight he thought he would never see again- Ephraim smiled back, genuinely, and the two of them remained like that for a moment that stretched onto eternity.

“I’m not really sure what happens after this,” Ephraim said, after a bit. “I never read any love stories...what do they usually do after the confession?”

“I’m...not sure either,” Lyon admitted. “I- think they usually kiss?”

Ephraim laughed- Lyon had often been the source of tears, but now they were for a different reason- and leaned in. “I think kissing you sounds like a wonderful idea.”

He hadn’t been strong enough to protect Lyon, but maybe this time, he would love him enough.

 

**Author's Note:**

> I finished this at around 1 am please point out grammar mistakes (but don't be rude about it) please and thank you
> 
> also the title was the hardest part of writing this


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